Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention generally relate to a printing apparatus that includes a plurality of sheet storage portions and that performs image reading with a reading unit and image printing with a printing unit in response to accepting an instruction to execute a job.
Description of the Related Art
In conventional printing apparatuses equipped with a plurality of cassettes, each of which stores sheets, an automatic selection function is known that stores information indicating the size of a sheet stored in each cassette and automatically selects, based on the stored information, a cassette that is used as a source for supplying sheets (a sheet supply source), as discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-070128. Using the automatic selection function enables automatically selecting, based on the size of a document (an original), for example, detected by a sensor, a cassette in which sheets with the same size as that of the document are stored, thus saving the user the trouble of having to manually select a cassette in which sheets with an appropriate size are stored. Furthermore, even if a certain cassette has no sheet stored therein (is in an out-of-sheet state), since, in a case where sheets with the same size as that of sheets stored in the certain cassette are stored in another cassette, such another cassette is automatically selected, the user can execute a job while postponing replenishing the certain cassette with sheets.
On the other hand, in the above-mentioned printing apparatuses, the user is allowed to specify, while avoiding the use of the automatic selection function, a particular cassette as a sheet supply source. For example, if the automatic selection function is used in a condition in which sheets with the same size but different in grammage, surface property, or price are respectively stored in a plurality of sheet storage portions, printing may be performed on a sheet different from a sheet that the user intends to use. In such a case, the user specifying a particular cassette and then issuing an instruction to execute a job (a job execution instruction) can make it possible for printing to be performed on a sheet stored in the particular cassette (i.e., a sheet that the user intends to use).
Furthermore, the above-mentioned printing apparatuses are configured such that, in a case where a particular cassette is specified as a sheet supply source, if the particular cassette is in the out-of-sheet state, a job execution instruction is not allowed to be accepted. The reason for this configuration is that, even if the job execution instruction is accepted, printing using the specified cassette cannot be started unless the specified cassette is replenished with sheets. Moreover, in that configuration, although the user is allowed to change the sheet supply source to another cassette by the user's decision prior to acceptance of the job execution instruction, the user is not allowed to make such a change by the user's decision after acceptance of the job execution instruction.
It is also known that, in a case where the above-mentioned automatic selection function is enabled (available), a state in which the use of the automatic selection function is specified is set as a default state. This setting results in the use of the automatic selection function even if the user issues a job execution instruction while omitting a part of the operation for setting a sheet supply source (for example, without displaying a screen for setting the sheet supply source). Accordingly, such a setting is convenient even for users unaccustomed to the operation.
On the other hand, in a case where the automatic selection function is not enabled (is unavailable), the state in which the use of the automatic selection function is specified cannot be set as a default state. In this case, it can be conceived that a state in which any one of a plurality of cassettes (for example, a cassette the conveyance path from which to a printing unit is shortest) is specified is set as a default state. According to this setting, in a case where the user issues a job execution instruction while omitting at least a part of the operation for setting a sheet supply source, if the cassette specified at the time of the default state has a sheet or sheets stored therein, printing can be performed. However, if the cassette specified at the time of the default state is in the out-of-sheet state, since such a condition is deemed to be a condition in which the cassette specified by the user's decision is in the out-of-sheet state, the job execution instruction cannot be accepted.
When the automatic selection function is enabled, if a particular cassette is specified as the sheet supply source, it is considered to be relatively highly possible that there exists the user's intention to use, for printing, sheets stored in the particular cassette. Accordingly, such a configuration is preferable as not to accept a job execution instruction if the specified cassette is in the out-of-sheet state. However, when the automatic selection function is not enabled, it is considered to be relatively highly possible that there exists no such user's intention and the user intends to execute the job while merely maintaining the default state. Nevertheless, such a configuration is not convenient as not to accept a job execution instruction, for the reason that the specified cassette is in the out-of-sheet state, despite the fact that sheets with the same size as that of sheets stored in the specified cassette are stored in another cassette.